EDITORIAL : THE SUN, UK

Show him we’re serious

IF the world had listened to David Cameron and The Sun, the head of Libyan tyrant Muammar Gaddafi could have been on a spike by now.

But they didn't. President Obama dithered and dallied. The Germans hid under their feather duvets.

Only the French and the Arab League joined our PM in demanding a no-fly zone to stop the regime murdering its opponents.

Meanwhile, Gaddafi kept emptying the gold from the bank vaults to pay gangsters to kill his people.

The fact that Mr Cameron finally persuaded Mr Obama and the rest of the world to stop dragging their feet is a great victory.

And when the President spelled out what was expected of Tripoli, it became clear Gaddafi is finished.

If Mr Obama was not just spouting words, that is.

Of course, Gaddafi has promised a ceasefire.

But his view of agreements is the same as the Soviet tyrant Joseph Stalin, who said they are like crusts of bread - made to be broken.

So we must insist the mass killer of Lockerbie does precisely what has been laid down by the UN.

ALL attacks on civilians must be stopped.

TROOPS and other Gaddafi forces must be pulled back from cities and towns they have brutally seized - and vital services restored.

Humanitarian AID must be let through. Mr Obama, finally sounding tough, warned that these conditions will be enforced BY MILITARY ACTION if Gaddafi doesn't obey.

Mr Cameron is clear there will be no Iraq-style occupation of Libya. The Libyans don't want it. We don't want it. And as the PM said: "It is not going to happen."

But there is plenty we can - and WILL - do. First, Britain is providing RAF jets to help turn Libya into a no-fly zone.

Then we can and must turn off Gaddafi's life-support. Starve him of the cash that pays for his killers. Impose sanctions to turn even his strongest supporters against him.

It is crucial though that this is not seen as an anti-Islam operation by the West. Which is why the support of Arab states and the African Union is so vital.

And we must NOT hang around. Gaddafi is an expert at buying time and playing the role of a desert fox. He has cheated and lied before and will do so again.

As he skulks in his luxurious tent, the dictator must be convinced that we mean business and want him - dead or alive.